Got Milk Commercials, Aaron Burr, and Busting a Gallon of Milk

The “Got Milk?” campaign has been around forever (unlike milk cartons that always expire before you finish them!) and there’s a new satirical PSA featuring Queen Latifah. As a vegan, I can’t really say how good milk is now, but when I was a regular fun person (not a boring, judgmental vegan 🙃) I loved milk. So when the question came up, got milk? my answer was always… umm, what do you think, goofball? No one could shame me out of a tall glass of skim milk. Here’s the ad promoting the consumption of milk and the idea of not being ashamed to drink it, then scroll down for more…

This reminds me of a couple of things. Who can forget the ageless commercial from the 1990s? Aaroooon Burrrrrr!

The star of that commercial, Sean Whalen, said it changed the course of his life. He goes on to explain more in a Facebook post…

Lastly, my college friend Walter and I shot funny videos when we were young and super mature. This has always been my favorite… and it features an unfortunate milk mistake. I promise this was all on purpose. It was so interesting to see how people reacted. Walter, you’re a genius and pulled off this prank flawlessly!

-Out of the Wilderness

College Football – will Thanksgiving weekend be the most dramatic?

When the college football season started, I was pretty sure week 1 (not week 0, whatever that is) was going to be one of the most dramatic, if not THE (like Ohio State says it– theeeee) most dramatic day of college football all season. There were some big wins, one of which was Colorado in Coach Prime’s debut.

But now that we’re almost three months in, THIS coming Saturday will be THEEE most dramatic day of college football. Also, Colorado fell back down to earth after doing really well in the first half of the season. But Prime is still awesome, I’ll fight you about that. Saturday features big time rivalries and because of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game, the top 4 will be shuffled around, no two ways about it. Plus, with Florida State dropping out of the top 4, just because their QB got injured (which the backup QBs and the rest of the second and third string players only went out and scored all 58 of their points that night), some drama is ahead. And you just know, bless their hearts, that the committee is going to move mountains to get Alabama into the playoffs. Put on your Blender brand Prime shades, there’re about to be some explosive things in college football.

-Out of the Wilderness

NFL Football on Black Friday… When Is Too Much Too Much?

When I wrote this post, I had no idea the NFL was actually planning on taking over Friday football along with Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. And remember Sunday sometimes features 930am games and Monday sometimes has doubleheaders. I’ve never thought this in my entire life until this year: The NFL is getting out of hand. I love football, like, really love it, but 4 days a week? I’m about to be offended.

I’ve been reminded more this year than any other before: Football is part of the entertainment industry. The end goal is always money whether that comes in the form of ticket sales, ad revenue, or merchandise. Football is mostly just an entertainment vehicle for commerce. So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the #1 online store (Amazon) had a say in which teams are playing this Black Friday (the game is being broadcast on Amazon Prime)…

Since New York is the No. 1 retail market in the country, Amazon noted it would make sense to have a game involving one of the New York teams on a day that is all about shopping.

Is too much of a good thing, a bad thing? I’m beginning to wonder. Although I’ll give it to Amazon, this ad from earlier in the year is pretty funny.

Hey, at half time of the 89 games going on this week, check out my children’s books, both for sale on Amazon (and other online retailers). Perfect for newborns and toddlers up to age 5 or 6. I can even ship you signed copies, just comment below to get the (foot)ball rolling.

Big and Small, God Made Them All

The Brave Bamboo

-Out of the Wilderness

Publix Thanksgiving Commercial – Dad’s A Loser and Mom’s Depressed

Hello and happy Thanksgiving! It’s a holiday that sometimes (all the time) gets overshadowed by Christmas music, Christmas shopping, everywhere decked out in red and green but there’s one grocery store that won’t let the November holiday go unnoticed. It’s Publix, of course! They’ve firmly established themselves as a place that when you’re there, you’re family. Or was that Olive Garden? Whatever. Publix is known for their warm and tender commercials (like this one) and for Thanksgiving they’re airing one featuring a mom and a daughter. Oh, a dad is in there, too, but my hot take is that the dad is the real loser this holiday season. Take a look at the ad then scroll down for the tasty breakdown…

Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone. He’s not a loser in the sense that his whole life is a waste but on this Thanksgiving, he’s losing. The poor dad is an afterthought for the entire minute-long commercial. He might be thinking, “Dooooon’t forget me when I’m gone!” but he ought to be saying DON’T FORGET ME WHEN I’M HERE!

*Whew* sorry about that. I just get riled up sometimes.

I actually hesitated to write more regarding the commercial because I already said my piece last November. I titled it “No One Smiles That Much” or something creepy like that. Read it here and you’ll never smile the same way again.

I’m A Grown Man. I wanted to give some attention to the dad in this post because his wife and daughter sure aren’t. He has two lines: “Yeah, I got them,” and “Hasn’t she made that stuffing like a million times before?” A question that goes unanswered, don’t forget. The icing on the cake, or the thyme in the stuffing, if you will, is how the mom’s demeanor changes when she talks about the dad.

“It’s a little quiet, you know… just me and dad.” Raises eyebrows.

Don’t underestimate her facial expression. She can’t stand not having her daughter there, and only having dad around is making her depressed and crazy at the same time.

This is not one of Publix’s better commercials. My advice: Less smiling, more conversation with the character lurking in the shadows (dad).

-Out of the Wilderness

The Chewy Talking Pets Christmas Commercials

Chewy is known for having pet-centric commercials (who is surprised by that!?) and for Christmas this year, they have a star dog, a Westie, spoiling Christmas for the family, who’s spoiling him with all the gifts. The third in the set below is a bengal mix cat who has a talent for guessing gifts, too. Take a look at the three ads then scroll down for more info…

These are right up there with the ad showing a cat who inherits the most when its owner’s will is read. Watch that one here and be prepared to laugh. I also find it interesting that most of the time when a dog is talking, it’s in a male voice and when a cat talks, it’s a female. This link between feline and femininity goes back centuries and is just as relevant today (ie. crazy cat ladies). The bond of a man and his dog is something everyone knows (ie. man’s best friend). Maybe it’s kind of like lady bugs. There are males but because of their name, it’s hard to automatically think of male lady bugs.

I remember when I was growing up thinking that cats and dogs were opposites. In some ways they are and that’s why there’s kind of an understood way of defining a person’s personality: are they a dog person or a cat person? But in reality, dogs and cats are very similar. Physically, it’s obvious how similar they are but they share traits that are alike, too.

So where I learned that these two creatures are opposites I’ll never know. I’m just glad I’m not allergic to dogs as some people are. However, I do have a cat allergy, so I will never be as hospitable as the guy in this Dos Equis commercial.

What are your thoughts on the Chewy commercials? Are you more of a cat person or a dog person? Chime in below!

-Out of the Wilderness